What a year it has been
Yale Conferences & Events Newsletter | December 2020
What a Year it Has Been
Looking back 12 months ago, we were entering the holiday season full of hope and excitement for 2020. Although 2020 unfolded in a much different way and disrupted our way of life, our spirits have been lifted by the stories of bravery, innovation, and leadership that have come out of this pandemic.
Let us enjoy this holiday season and new year with a renewed sense of gratitude. May we continue to be kind to one another, as we are in this together.
Linda K. Lorimer Award for Distinguished Service
Fall Semester 2020: On-Campus Housing in the Time of COVID-19
Move-In, August 2020
Helping students move-in to their on-campus housing is no small task. Doing so during a pandemic is unprecedented! But that is exactly what Yale was faced with this past August as we prepared to welcome a portion of the student body back to campus for the fall semester. Yale Conferences & Events, along with many campus partners, worked around the clock to safely settle over 1,700 students into their on-campus housing. A few of the initiatives completed by our team:
- Developed a brand-new online student portal to centralize the Yale College housing system, including an intricate workflow that allowed students to efficiently and safely move-in
- Established and managed temporary overnight housing for students who were unable to move-in within the allotted times
- Worked with Yale Health to establish isolation housing to provide comfortable and safe housing for students who tested positive during the semester
- Oversaw the entire customer service operation to assist students and their families with questions and concerns, including case management for student claims for lost or damaged items (stemming from the Summer 2020 move-out)
- Managed the moving company and trained teams of staff volunteers assisting with the move-in
Move-Out, November 2020
Keeping People Connected and Moving Yale Initiatives Forward
- African Women as Pillars of Resilience series, offered jointly by Yale University and La Fundación Mujeres por África African Women (7 webinars between June and November)
- Global Health Conversation Series, offered by the Yale Institute for Global Health, featuring Dr. Anthony Fauci as their first guest speaker (3 webinars between October and December)
- Multicultural Open House, offered by the Yale College Undergraduate Admissions office (transformed a 1-day on-campus event into 2 weeks of live online events between September and October)
- Planetary Solutions online symposium, a campus-wide initiative (3-day event in December)
- Just for fun: YC&E also hosted our Yale Global Division Holiday Party (120 guests in attendance, included a mixology workshop with special gift, trivia segment, and holiday décor contest)